The Ride Along transcript
THE ROOKIE Episode 7 "The Ride Along" Transcribed by Pegship INT. STATION ANDERSEN is standing at a podium delivering a statement to the press. ANDERSEN All departmental resources were brought to bear on this dangerous fugitive, including our most decorated officer, Kaydence Patton. EXT. HILLS BISHOP, a helicopter and a couple of patrol cars are chasing someone who is running through the hills. WEST comes driving along in a golf cart decorated as a patrol car, with a young girl dressed as a police officer. The girl, KAYDENCE PATTON, jumps out of the cart and runs up to the suspect, who has been cornered and who turns out to be JOHN NOLAN in street clothes. KAYDENCE PATTON On your knees, dirt bag. Hands behind your back. NOLAN drops to his knees as KAYDENCE gets handcuffs from WEST. NOLAN WHISPERING Dirt bag? KAYDENCE snaps the cuffs on and kicks NOLAN in the leg. NOLAN Ow! KAYDENCE leads NOLAN into the precinct in handcuffs and hands him over to GREY, to much applause and cheering. ANDERSEN On behalf of Make-A-Wish, the City of Los Angeles, and the LAPD, we hereby thank Honorary Police Officer Kaydence Patton. AND APPLAUSE INT. NOLAN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM NOLAN is asleep on the couch, surrounded by empty food boxes and a laptop which is showing a documentary. TV NARRATOR Considered one of the ocean's greatest predators, the great white is a solitary creature. Always on the hunt, the shark glides through icy depths and coastal wat- The laptop is closed by BEN, who enters the room and stands looking down at NOLAN, who is waking up. BEN So, just to be clear, since I left you three days ago, I flew to New York, went to a board meeting, two Broadway shows, a charity gala, and you haven't moved. NOLAN YAWNING Moving is overrated. BEN Huh. You said you had plans. Right? Too many to come to New York with me. NOLAN Yeah, I lied about that. And you told me to embrace being on my own. BEN I didn't mean become a hermit. You need to put yourself out there, meet new people. NOLAN I do. I meet dozens of new people, every day on patrol. BEN And you arrest them. NOLAN Speaking of, I have got to get to work. BEN I'm just trying to look out for you. NOLAN I know, and and I appreciate it. I just - I'm not feeling really social right now. BEN How many times you check Lucy's Instagram page? NOLAN None. (a beat) Eleven. BEN John, L. A. is full of distractions. Find yourself one. 'Cause Lucy's not going anywhere. You need to move on. INT. STATION - BRIEFING ROOM NOLAN comes in and sits down next to the other two rookies. CHEN is laughing at something WEST said. CHEN What? NOLAN Morning. WEST Hey. Where were you this weekend? We, uh, hit up a Dodger game and went to that pop-up karaoke disco. NOLAN Uh, my back was bothering me, so I just stayed home to take care of it. WEST Well, cowboy up next time, 'cause we can't be the Three Amigos with just two people. Right? CHEN Yeah, totally. GREY All right, grab your seats. A special day here at Mid-Wilshire. In fact, we're gonna start off by playing a game I like to call "What is a patrol officer's least favorite assignment?" Officer Lopez, why don't you get us started. LOPEZ Easy. Guarding a dead body. GREY Solid one. Officer Bradford? BRADFORD Canvassing in the rain. GREY Bishop. BISHOP Driving the drunk wagon. It's just nasty. GREY Without a doubt. And yet, for me, the absolute worst is the VIP ride along. OFFICERS GROANING NOLAN Why? That sounds like fun. GREY Officer Bishop, would you like to inform your Boot why the ride along tops my list? BISHOP Because if anything happens to your VIP, it's your ass. So, you take the lowest of low-risk calls. It makes a 12-hour shift feel twice as long. BRADFORD Plus, you're trapped in a car all day with an entitled prima donna coated in body spray. GREY Officer Nolan, you want to take a guess why we're playing this game? NOLAN Because you're giving me the VIP ride along? GREY No. NOLAN Really? GREY No. You absolutely got the ride along. LAUGHTER He's waiting in the Captain's office for you now. BISHOP Sir, is it too late to ask for a sick day? GREY Yes, it is. NOLAN Uh, who is this VIP, anyway? INT. STATION - CAPTAIN'S OFFICE RUPERT PAYNE Thank you so much for allowing this. ANDERSEN Of course. LAPD always appreciates when Hollywood gets it right. PAYNE Ah, no danger of that with me, huh? LAUGHS No, I-I'm just moving this movie franchise of mine from New York to L. A., so I thought I should get out on the street here, see how L. A.'s finest get things done. ANDERSEN What movie is that? NOLAN It's Trading Fire. And if Five is half as good as Four, I will be a happy man. ANDERSEN Mr. Payne, meet Officers Talia Bishop and John Nolan. You'll be riding with them today. PAYNE (shaking hands withe BISHOP and NOLAN) It's a pleasure. NOLAN I am such a huge fan. PAYNE Oh, I'm so excited to be riding along with the oldest rookie in the world. NOLAN I don't uh, well, I wouldn't say world. PAYNE Don't sell yourself short, James. NOLAN John. PAYNE Captain, once again, thank you so much for allowing this. I know the rules of the ride along. I'll be happy with whatever level of calls you give us. ANDERSEN I appreciate that, but we will make sure that you get to see some action. PAYNE Great. Great. PAYNE leaves the room and ANDERSEN turns to BISHOP and NOLAN. ANDERSEN He does not get anywhere near danger. Is that understood? BISHOP Yes, ma'am. BISHOP and NOLAN walk out of the office and meet up with PAYNE. NOLAN It is such an honor to be the one - PAYNE So, what's it gonna cost me to get to see some real action, huh? And don't forget I have what they call "stupid money." He pulls a wad of cash out of his pocket. BISHOP If you don't put that away, this ride along is gonna be over before it even starts. She walks away. PAYNE Tough negotiator, huh? NOLAN She's not negotiating. PATROL CAR - LOPEZ and WEST WEST I heard a rumor. LOPEZ About what? WEST My dad said a detective position is opening up, and you and Talia are top contenders. So, I would keep an eye out for The Tap. LOPEZ What do you know about The Tap? WEST It's how the higher-ups signal that you're a shoo-in for detective. "Officer, you should think about taking the exam." Wink, wink. LOPEZ I am so ready to move up. Did your dad say anything else? Anything I can use to get a leg up over Talia? WEST No. Mnh-mnh. Listen, I really shouldn't have told you that. LOPEZ Don't worry. I won't say anything. But I definitely appreciate the heads up. They fist-bump. DISPATCH 7-Adam-7, reporting a possible assault in progress. INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY We hear a MAN screaming. LOPEZ and WEST are coming down the hall, weapons drawn, looking for the source of the sound. WEST Sounds like someone's getting killed. LOPEZ (pounding on door) Police! Open up! She kicks in the door to find JASON sitting in a chair with electrodes in his hands, breathing heavily. LOPEZ What the hell are you doing? JASON Nothing. WEST Uh, no, I've - I've heard of this before. Did you shock yourself so you can feel an adrenaline rush? JASON Dude, y-you should try it. It really just clears the sinuses. SNIFFLES LOPEZ Where did all this stuff come from? JASON The Jason bought it from a friend. LOPEZ Really? And where exactly does your friend work? JASON The ... hospital store. WEST Okay. Look, The Jason is gonna put on The Handcuffs, because he's under arrest. LOPEZ Hold up, Boot. We're not looking to arrest this guy. WEST We're not? LOPEZ Not if he can point us towards someone more worthy of jail. How about it? I can make the charges go away, but to do that, I need to know the name of the guy you got all this stolen equipment from. INT. STATION CHEN S-Sorry. The battery was dead, so they had to find us another shop, and then I had to put gas in it. But we're ready to roll now, so - BRADFORD You know, when I was a rookie, I got here two hours before roll call to get the best shop from motor pool, re-wash it, and load the gear. CHEN Is this the cop version of walking five miles in the snow? BRADFORD This isn't story time, Boot. I'm reminding you how easy you have it. CHEN Understood, sir. Thank you for all your support. CLERK Officer Bradford, Sergeant Grey wants to see you in his office. BRADFORD Get the shop set up. I'll be right back. QUARTERMASTER (handing weapons to CHEN) Here you go. PATROL CAR - BISHOP and NOLAN PAYNE Does this vest make me look fat? NOLAN What, are you kidding? You look like you're ready to star in Trading Fire Five. PAYNE Yeah, I've been training with these special forces guys. NOLAN Oh, the same guys who trained Tom for the last movie? I watch all the behind-the-scenes videos. DISPATCH Wilshire units, we have shots fired, MacArthur Park. PAYNE Let's go to that. Guys, let's go to that. I've got Lakers tickets with your name on them if you say yes. BISHOP Sorry, I'm a Clippers gal. PAYNE Jonah, can you help me out, please? NOLAN Me? Um, sorry. The T. O. dictates which calls we take. DISPATCH 7-Adam-15, possible 459 at 910 Seabright Place. PAYNE What's a 459? BISHOP 7-Adam-15 responding. PAYNE What's a 459? BISHOP Real, authentic police work. PAYNE Yeah. INT. STATION - GREY'S OFFICE GREY Come in. BRADFORD comes in and GREY shuts the door. BRADFORD That's not a good sign. GREY No, it's not. Look, there's no easy way to say this. I was just notified that detectives made a drug bust. I recognized the suspect's name. It's your wife. BRADFORD What's the charge? GREY Possession with intent to sell. BRADFORD They're bringing her in? GREY Yeah. I don't know all the details yet, but I wanted to warn you. DISTANT So, obviously, this is a complicated situation, but know that the department has your back. Whatever you need, just ask, okay? BRADFORD Yes, sir. EXT. HOUSE OF 459 CALL PAYNE Really? We passed up a shoot-out for this? NOLAN Well, the neighbors reported hearing disturbing noises. That could be serious. PAYNE Huh. Doubtful. The three of them walk along the long driveway to the house. BISHOP Listen, you want to see the difference between New York cops and L. A. ones, right? PAYNE Yep. BISHOP Well, New York has 40,000 officers policing their streets. L. A. only has 9,000 operating in a city twice its size. We see a hell of a lot more action every shift. NOLAN Yeah, you never know when that action's gonna happen. Some of these "smaller" calls can get ugly fast. Matter of fact, just to be safe, you should really just hang back. (holds out a hand) To be safe. BISHOP knocks on the front door and it falls open a bit. She and NOLAN draw their weapons and enter the house cautiously. BISHOP LAPD! NOLAN Police! There's a pile of mail on the floor just inside the door. The house seems to be emtpy, but NOLAN hears something in another room and signals BISHOP that he's going to investigate. NOLAN WHISPERING Bishop. NOLAN enters a room where an old movie projector is spinning, the film end flapping. He sees the back of someone's head, someone seated on the sofa facing the screen. NOLAN LAPD. Show me your hands. He moves around and finds a decaying body on the sofa. PAYNE Oh, she's been there a while. NOLAN And no one noticed. INT. STATION BRADFORD is sitting in the briefing room alone when CHEN enters. CHEN Hey, what's, uh what's going on? What did Grey want? Are we going out? BRADFORD looks over her shoulder; she turns to see ISABEL being escorted into the precinct by two detectives. As they pass by GREY's office he steps out. GREY Detectives. After you drop off, can you come back and see me? Thanks. INT. STATION - GREY'S OFFICE GREY and BRADFORD are in the office when DET. VESTRI and DET. WOLFE enter. GREY Hey. DET. VESTRI You have an issue with our arrest? GREY No, just looking for more details on this one. DET. WOLFE We assisted on a DEA task force, tracking a heroin distribution network. They flagged a car known to make drops for them. We pulled over the suspect and found four grams, individually wrapped, which means intent to sell. BRADFORD Isabel isn't a dealer. VESTRI How do you know? GREY Officer Bradford and Isabel were rookies together. WOLFE So she's a cop? BRADFORD Was. Undercover narcotics. Another division. Been off the job for a year. VESTRI You used to date. BRADFORD She's my wife. WOLFE Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Fact of the matter is she's in pretty deep with some heavy dealers. Being arrested with that kind of weight, she's looking at one to three in county. BRADFORD I know that, but she doesn't even own a car. You bother to check the registration? WOLFE Doesn't matter. She was the one driving. VESTRI Look, this is not something that we can make go away even if we wanted to. Your wife's gonna need a lawyer. And your officer needs to figure out where he stands. Is he a cop or a suspect's husband? GREY Thank you. VESTRI Yeah. He and WOLFE exit. GREY He's right. Listen, why don't you take a personal day, all right? Make some phone calls. BRADFORD It's not necessary. GREY They need to process her. Then they're gonna wait for her lawyer to show up, and then they're gonna sweat her in interrogation. You won't get a chance to talk to her for hours. So if you don't take a day, that means you're going back on the street. You have a problem with that? BRADFORD No, sir. GREY Okay. Go back to work. BISHOP, NOLAN, PAYNE, and the crime scene techs are at the scene of the unattended death. BISHOP and NOLAN are on their phones with different parties. NOLAN Yeah, her name is Crawford. Collette Crawford. Just looking for any relatives or family friends. BISHOP Latanaprost. L-A-T-A-N-A-P-R-O-S-T. NOLAN Could you check again? Uh, there has to be somebody. PAYNE WHISPERING Hey, can we go? Psst. Can we go? BISHOP No, I need to get a Natural Causes Death Certificate issued first, and to do that, I need to go through all the medications with the medical examiner. PAYNE Well, can I just pay them to do it so we can go? BISHOP No, you can't just throw money at your problems to make them go away. That's not how life works. PAYNE Maybe not your life. BISHOP Nolan. NOLAN Uh, yeah, okay, thank you. (He ends the call. To PAYNE) Okay, look, I-I get this isn't exciting for you, but it's important, and I know I, for one, will sleep better tonight knowing that we took care of Ms. Crawford's remains personally. PAYNE Can I give you a note? NOLAN A what? PAYNE You're coming across a little earnest. Just try throwing it away a little more. NOLAN Throwing it - You do know I'm a real person, right? BISHOP (into the phone) Yeah, Nifedipine. PAYNE (looking at framed portraits of the victim in earlier days) God, she's just so beautiful. She'd never be a leading lady today, though. Not unless she lost 30 pounds and had a nose job. That's the trouble with this business. It's so superficial. NOLAN Yes, well, you could buck that, you know. You have the power to hire whoever you want. PAYNE Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. But, you know, audiences expect a certain look from my films. You know, I wouldn't want to disappoint them. BISHOP Thank you. (ends call) Yeah, well, there is definitely a dark side to auto-paying all your bills. NOLAN I couldn't find a single relative or family friend to claim the body. That's so heartbreaking. PAYNE Doesn't surprise me. People forget you fast in this town. INT. STATION - INTERROGATION ROOM LOPEZ We caught you with a van full of stolen medical equipment. At least twenty grand worth, which makes it a major felony. CHUY How'd you guys find out about me? Come on! Somebody gave me up. I'm too smart to get caught any other way. LOPEZ But are you smart enough to walk out of this room a free man? WEST What are you doing? LOPEZ Offering up a deal. WEST But this is a good arrest. LOPEZ But there's a better one right up the food chain. Isn't that right, Chuy? CHUY Maybe. LOPEZ Make that a "yes," you might sleep in your own bed tonight. PATROL CAR - BISHOP & NOLAN PAYNE I'm just saying New York cops would've, you know, shown me a little bit of a better time by now. BISHOP If you're unhappy with the quality of your ride along, please feel free to request another unit. PAYNE Look, I'm not happy. You're not happy, either. You don't want to be taking these low-risk calls any more than I do. BISHOP With all due respect, I don't think you could handle high-stakes calls. PAYNE Oh, yeah, is that a challenge? BISHOP No, just an observation. I've seen one of your movies. PAYNE What, you didn't like it? BISHOP It was fine. It just had nothing to do with real cop work. DISPATCH 7-Adam-15, we have a 415 at 9386 9th Avenue. PAYNE What's a 415? NOLAN Family disturbance. Probably just a loud argument. PAYNE It's not that far from here. BISHOP 7-Adam-15 responding. They roll up to a house where several people are standing in the front yard. There's a pan on the ground with burned pancakes in it and a large young man is roaming around shouting in frustration while the others try to calm him down. PAYNE Yeah. TYSON PARKS No! MALCOLM Relax. Everybody makes mistakes, bro. It's cool. Just chill. TYSON No! Go! SHOUTS MOM Ty. TYSON GROANS MALCOLM Yo, you're scaring her, man, come on. Everybody makes mistakes. Just chill. ALARM BEEPING PAYNE Finally, some action. BISHOP You, stay. TYSON No! MALCOLM Ty, Ty, it'll be okay. TYSON Shut up! BISHOP Everybody, put your hands where I can see them. TYSON GROANING Go. Go. MALCOLM Hey, back off. We don't need you here. TYSON Go! MALCOLM Hey, Ma, I told you not to call the cops. TYSON No! No! Go away! MAN Yo, they gonna shoot him! NOLAN Nobody's shooting anybody. TYSON Go! BISHOP Everybody, put your hands where I can see them now. TYSON Go away! GROANS BISHOP Now. TYSON raises his hand; he's holding a large kitchen knife. BISHOP Knife! She and NOLAN draw their weapons. NOLAN Put the knife down! Sir, drop the weapon now. TYSON No! No! No! No! No! No! OTHERS Wait, wait, wait! NOLAN Put the knife down! Put the weapon down now! BISHOP I need you to put the knife down now. MALCOLM Don't shoot him. Don't shoot him. MOM Tyson, it's okay. Put down the knife, please. TYSON GROANING I did bad. Tyson did bad. NOLAN Sir, we are just here to help you, but we can't help until you drop that knife. TYSON Go. Go! MOM He doesn't understand. Please. He's not gonna hurt anyone. He's only a child. He doesn't know how big he is. MALCOLM Look, I won't let you hurt him. NOLAN I need you to step back now. BISHOP Everyone, take it down a notch. TYSON GROANING MOM He got confused. The alarm. BREAKING I-I shouldn't have yelled at him. NOLAN Could somebody take care of that alarm? One of the other men goes inside and shuts off the smoke alarm. TYSON I'm sorry, Momma, I'm so sorry. MOM It's okay, baby. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. CRYING I know! TYSON I burnt the pancakes. I burnt the pancakes. NOLAN Looks like you didn't flip them in time. TYSON CRYING I forgot. I forgot. I forgot! BISHOP I do that sometimes, too. You know? Forget when to flip them. You want to know a little trick? How to know when to flip 'em? SOFTLY You remember the little bubbles on top? Hmm? When you see those little bubbles on top, you know it's time. Okay? QUIETLY Okay. QUIETLY I need you to put down the knife, Tyson. Now. Okay? TYSON looks at MALCOLM, who nods. TYSON drops the knife on the ground and BISHOP and NOLAN move quickly to handcuff TYSON. TYSON Sorry. MOM CRYING It's okay. MAN It's all right. CLICK INT. STATION - BOOKING AREA CHEN Isn't public urination usually a citation? BRADFORD You need to brush up on your California Penal Code. Section 314. Indecent exposure is a misdemeanor subject to six months in jail. CHEN Hmm. Indecent exposure requires an offended party. BRADFORD Plenty of offended families living in the apartment building across that alley. CHEN Mm. Respectfully, sir, that'll never stick. BRADFORD It doesn't matter. Start processing. CHEN Hey. Do you want me to give you a shout if I see the detectives? BRADFORD Yeah. (to JANSSEN, the Holding officer) Open cell three for me. BRADFORD enters the cell where ISABEL is sitting. ISABEL I screwed up. BRADFORD You think? How bad is it? ISABEL It's a solid arrest. BRADFORD Who's Carson Holland? The car you were driving is registered to him. Is he your boyfriend? ISABEL Sometimes. BRADFORD Okay, you have to tell them the drugs belong to him. ISABEL We both know it won't matter. I was in possession. Isn't there something you can do? BRADFORD What?! They won't drop the charge. It's connected to a DEA case. This is real, Isabel. ISABEL It's gonna get worse. Because tomorrow, they're gonna have a warrant to search my apartment. BRADFORD What will they find? ISABEL Carson stashed a kilo of heroin in my heating unit. BRADFORD Are you - WHISPERING are you that far gone? Why would you let him do that? ISABEL All right, I will not be able to plea out of this. So, i-if I go to jail, they're gonna find out I was a cop, and I'll be dead. Please, baby. Go - Go to my place. I need you. If you help me, it'll be different, all right? I'll go to rehab. For real this time. BRADFORD You're just saying that. ISABEL No, no, this is different. I ca- I can be different. Please help me. Okay? Please. EXT. PARKS HOUSE BISHOP 7-Adam-15 requesting an additional unit for a 51-50 hold. MALCOLM Hey, y'all can let him go now. Momma not pressing no more charges. MOM That's right. BISHOP I'm sorry, but we have no leeway here. An assault was committed. NOLAN But we're not taking him to jail. A doctor will evaluate his needs. Depending on the diagnosis, he may even qualify for a facility. MOM We can't afford that. PAYNE is hovering nearby, recording video on his phone. MALCOLM Hey, what you doing, brah? What the hell you doing? Put that camera away, brah. PAYNE No, no, no, it's okay. I'm I'm a director. This is - This is so compelling. MALCOLM Compelling? NOLAN Rupert, put the camera away. MALCOLM What, you think my brother's pain is entertaining? Huh? NOLAN Step back. Step back. MALCOLM Put the camera away. NOLAN Step back. Hey. MALCOLM You don't hear me, brah? I said put the camera away! You think I'm playing with you? BISHOP Hey, guys, you do not want to escalate this. TYSON No, no, no. NOLAN Take it back. WAILS TYSON I'm scared. MOM It's okay, honey. It's okay, T. It's okay. It's okay, honey. Don't worry. TYSON I'm scared. MALCOLM Hey, it's okay, T. I'm gonna come visit you. I promise. MOM We're gonna take care of this. COP Okay. Come on. MALCOLM Hey, I'm talking to my brother. I'ma come visit you, I promise. MOM No. Just wait - MALCOLM I'ma come see you, T. NOLAN (to PAYNE) Wait in the car while we finish up. MAN You're gonna be all right. MOM No, I - CRYING MALCOLM Hey, stay strong, okay? I'ma come see you. INT. STATION GREY Explain something to me, Lopez. I can see you two filed a lot of evidence reports, but I can't seem to find a single booking report. LOPEZ I've been instructing Officer West about how patrol can leverage lower-level criminals to get actual intel on higher-level felons, sir. GREY Perhaps earn some goodwill prior to your Detective's exam? WEST Officer Lopez convinced our last suspect to give up a pretty significant target. GREY Is that right? LOPEZ Yes, sir. We have credible intel that could get us Lawrence Abuto. GREY Major Assault Crimes would be thrilled to collar a weapons dealer like Abuto. Loop them in. But, Lopez - LOPEZ Sir? GREY Be careful. It's a high-reward strategy but also high-risk. There's a real possibility this won't pay off at all, and then all you did was let a bunch of little crooks get away. INT. STATION - HALLWAY ANDERSEN I was very clear, yet you brought our VIP into an incredibly volatile situation. BISHOP It was unintentional. We had no idea from the call how dangerous it was gonna be. ANDERSEN And that is the only reason that I am being pleasant right now. You're dismissed. She goes into her office as PAYNE comes walking up to BISHOP and NOLAN. PAYNE Crazy day, huh? Um, did you guys get in trouble? BISHOP No. PAYNE Good. Look, I-I'm having a little thing at my place tonight, and I would love it if you'd come. BISHOP I'm gonna call it a day. Thanks. BISHOP walks away. PAYNE She doesn't like me, does she? NOLAN Oh, she's - No. PAYNE Yeah. I get that a lot. Listen, I'd really like it if you came along tonight. It's my little way of saying thank you for today. NOLAN I really should get home, get some rest... (a beat) But you know, someone did tell me I need to start putting myself out there more, so what the hell? PAYNE Good. Good. EXT. ISBAEL'S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT BRADFORD sneaks up to the door of ISABEL's apartment, picks the lock, and lets himself inside, closing the door quietly. He turns on the lights and looks around, turns on a lamp and sees a picture frame with a photo of him and ISABEL. He picks it up and looks at it for a moment, then puts it back on the counter where he found it. He kneels down in front of the heating unit and pries the lower part of the cover off, then sighs as he pulls out a hefty brick of what must be heroin. EXT. STREET - NIGHT BRADFORD walks back to his car and is about to get in when he sees CHEN getting out of her car nearby. BRADFORD What are you doing here? CHEN No, what are you doing here? BRADFORD Look, you're out of your depth on this. CHEN Look, I've been riding with you for two months. You project the rogue cop thing, but you are always on the right side of the law. BRADFORD If you came all the way over here to psychoanalyze me, you wasted your time. CHEN No, I I came here to remind you that you'll regret helping her. Because it's not gonna change her. But it'll sure as hell change you. BRADFORD just turns away and gets in his car. PAYNE'S HOUSE - NIGHT NOLAN holds the door open for a woman, but a man on his cell phone cuts in front of her, talking as he enters the house. STUDIO EXECUTIVE Yeah, I'm stepping into an industry party right now. Hey, thanks, guy. NOLAN Who said chivalry was dead? He stands looking around at all the beautiful people dancing and talking and drinking. A woman approaches with a tray of hors d'oeuvres. NOLAN Ah, hey. WOMAN Would you like an hors d'oeuvre? NOLAN Uh, I-I'll pass. Thanks. PAYNE Jason! NOLAN Oh, it's, uh - Never mind. PAYNE I'm so, so glad you made it. NOLAN Oh, thanks. I-I feel underdressed. I didn't realize it was a - PAYNE It's Hollywood. No, no, no. Look, there's food and booze out back. Go make yourself at home. I'll be out there in a second, okay? GUEST Hi. PAYNE Hi! Oh, look at you. NOLAN wanders off toward the back. There's a DJ, food and drink, and people chatting and drinking and eating. MAN AT BUFFET I don't know if I like it. NOLAN continues to wander, doing a double take at a woman dressed as a mermaid on the edge of the swimming pool. PAYNE What do you think of my new digs? NOLAN Oh, this place is great. PAYNE It used to belong to Marlon. NOLAN Brando? PAYNE Wayans. NOLAN Oh. You sure have a lot of friends. PAYNE Oh, I don't know half these people. They just wrangle invites through their publicists. TIFFANY Rupert. Tiffany? We met at that Golden Globes thing. PAYNE Oh! Of course. Tiffany, this is, uh, this is Jim Nolan. NOLAN John Nolan. Nice to meet you. PAYNE LAPD. He took me on a ride along today. TIFFANY Really? PAYNE Mm-hmm. TIFFANY That's so cool. So, what's it like being a cop? PAYNE Oh, God, it's amazing. You should've seen my boy today. He stared death right in the face. Didn't even flinch. NOLAN I flinched. It was super scary. I'm gonna grab a drink. Very nice meeting you. (to the bartender) Can I grab a beer, please? Thank you. He turns to survey the crowd and spots a man dropping something into a woman's drink when her back is turned. NOLAN Hey, I saw that. (to the woman) Don't drink that. He put something in your drink. MAN No, I didn't. NOLAN Yes, you did. MAN Get the hell off me. NOLAN I won't. I saw you. MAN Get off! SHATTERS, CROWD MURMURS NOLAN subdues the man and cuffs him. NOLAN You're under arrest. PAYNE Ladies and gentlemen, John Nolan, LAPD! AND APPLAUSE INTY. PAYNE'S HOUSE - NIGHT PAYNE and NOLAN are standing together as the cops lead the suspect away and the guests are wandering off. NOLAN I'm sorry I ruined your party. PAYNE Are you kidding? Everyone in town's gonna be talking about that tomorrow. Oh, and besides, I got you like a dozen phone numbers. NOLAN Oh. Uh, thanks. That's, um - Oh, hey, these are cute kids. Sorry I didn't get a chance to meet 'em. PAYNE Oh, yeah. They're in London right now. I haven't spoken to them in months. NOLAN That's sad. I try to talk to my son at least once a week. Although it's been a little longer than that this time around. PAYNE Sacrifices we make for our careers, huh? God, sometimes I wonder if it's worth it. You know, these movies I make, make a fortune, but I haven't made a film anyone's cared about in years. NOLAN Oh, you're kidding, right? I mean, people love your movies. The escape it brings them? Life is hard. Your movies are fun. PAYNE But they're not real. Not like today was real. NOLAN Look, let me tell you something. Some of my fondest memories of my son growing up are tied to your movies. He was ten when we saw the first, and we were re-creating scenes in the backyard. I mean, it was a blast. Every summer after that, we'd go to an opening weekend and - Actually, we just talked about how we're gonna schedule the next one with him being away at college. PAYNE Thank you. NOLAN Yeah. Welcome. And, um, uh, thanks for the invite. PAYNE John - What's gonna happen to the kid from today? After he gets out of hospital, will he get the care he needs? NOLAN Honestly, no. They just don't have the means. Sadly, the system is designed to deal with crisis, not prevent it. Um, thanks. INT. STATION - MORNING CHEN Sir, last night - BRADFORD Didn't happen. That clear? GREY Hey, I got some bad news. BRADFORD Can't be worse than yesterday. GREY See, I'm afraid it can. Detectives executed a search warrant on your wife's apartment this morning. They found a kilo hidden in the heating unit. She's with her lawyer now. I'm sorry, Tim. GREY walks away and CHEN turns to BRADFORD. CHEN You did the right thing. BRADFORD Not for Isabel. INT. STATION - INTERVIEW ROOM LAWYER So, the kilo bumps you up to a major trafficker, which means you're facing 10 to 20 now. Now, you were a decorated officer who got addicted on the job. We could try to use that. ISABEL I went down the rabbit hole after I got hooked. They could've investigated me for half a dozen things. Instead, they brushed it under the rug and fired me quietly. I'm nothing but dirty laundry to them. Now they've got a clean shot, they're gonna take it. INT. STATION - ANDERSEN'S OFFICE ANDERSEN Major Crimes took a run at your intel on Lawrence Abuto. They couldn't do anything with your informant's information. LOPEZ Are they sure? 'Cause we had that guy wrapped up with a bow. ANDERSEN He was lying to you, Officer Lopez. Frankly, I'm surprised you couldn't tell. WEST Ma'am, I believed him, as well. ANDERSEN Officer West, you're a rookie. Lopez, you're a veteran. You're usually a lot more careful than this. I'm really disappointed in you. LOPEZ Yes, ma'am. PATROL CAR - BISHOP and NOLAN BISHOP I heard you were the life of the party last night. NOLAN Did Rupert tell you that? BISHOP No, I heard it from the midnight shift. So, was it any fun? NOLAN No. Uh, it was... interesting. BISHOP I find the whole Hollywood thing depressing. All that energy spent on stuff that just doesn't matter. VIBRATING Oh, hey, here's your BFF now. NOLAN Oh. You can get that. BISHOP Hey. Rupert. Tell m- PAYNE Help! They're trying to kill me. PANTING You've got to come. BISHOP Rupert? PAYNE My office. BISHOP Rupert! WAILING NOLAN His office is on the studio lot. BISHOP Dispatch, we have a possible 207 at Beverly Oaks Studios. PAYNE QUIETLY John, are you still there? NOLAN Rupert? PAYNE I think I lost them. NOLAN Rupert, are you okay? We're on our way. PAYNE I've locked myself in the prop room. BISHOP What's going on? PAYNE I kept thinking about what happened yesterday, so I reached out to Tyson's brother. Look, at first, everything was fine, but then when I offered him money to pay for a facility, he got really angry. He started to hit me, and then his friends - MAN MUFFLED Down here! PAYNE Oh, God - WHISPERING His friends - MAN #2 Which way?! Come on! PAYNE - wanted me to open the safe in my office, but I managed to get away. RAJON DISTANCE Where'd he go? RATTLING PAYNE Oh, God. John, help. Help! (as the men break into the prop room) No, no, no, no, no! MALCOLM Please. Guys, please. Please. We gotta forget about him. Yo, let's get out of here! RAJON No, not until we get all that money from that safe in his office. MALCOLM I don't want his money. RAJON Yeah? Well, we do. The intruders manhandle PAYNE out of the room. We hear them shouting over the radio in the shop. RAJON Back to the offi- BISHOP I've lost him. The patrol car, with another following, barrels into the Beverly Oaks studio lot. A guard runs over to show them the way. GATE SECURITY GUARD His office is in that building. They get out of the shop in front of the building just as PAYNE is being dragged out by RAJON and his friends. BISHOP Stop! Police! NOLAN Don't move! Shots are exchanged, and RAJON falls to the ground wounded as MALCOLM runs off with PAYNE. RAJON Aah! BISHOP Go get him. NOLAN On it. BISHOP (to backup cop) Cuff him and call it in! Hands behind your back. BISHOP and NOLAN run through the backlot looking for MALCOLM. They run past a tram full of tourists with their tour guide. STUDIO TOUR GUIDE (in the background) So, you want to get your cameras ready 'cause up here to my left is a sign you'll probably recognize... BISHOP and NOLAN split up. BISHOP is jumped by one of the men, subdues him and cuffs him. NOLAN enters a large warehouse/set and searches it, eventually coming upon MALCOLM, who is holding PAYNE as a human shield at gunpoint. NOLAN Malcolm, stop! Your mother's suffered enough. You're only making it worse. MALCOLM So what? You gonna be my savior now, too? Huh? Like Mr. Hollywood here? Offering me money to make himself feel like a hero? PAYNE To put your brother in a facility. MALCOLM Yeah, and what happens when that runs out, huh? How we supposed to pay for your fancy-ass facility and meds? You gonna give us money for next year and the year after that? PAYNE I told you, we'll work it out. MALCOLM Work it out? Like it's that simple, huh? Like my brother's just gonna be fixed now that you're here to save the day. NOLAN Malcolm, he doesn't understand. MALCOLM Oh, and you do? NOLAN No. God, no. I've never been in your shoes. I-I can't imagine what it's been like for you and your mom to have to care for your brother, to make sure he doesn't hurt himself, that he can never be alone. Then to have this poster child for entitlement call you up like that? PAYNE Hey. MALCOLM Shh! NOLAN It's gotta be infuriating. But this, Malcolm, this this helps no one. This only hurts your brother, and I know you don't want to do that. So, come on. Let's put the gun down and let's just end this, okay? MALCOLM is lowering his gun when PAYNE grabs it and wrenches it away from MALCOLM, knocking him to the ground. PAYNE I got it! I got it! A cop appears on a catwalk and sees PAYNE with the gun in his hand. COP Drop the weapon! NOLAN No! The cop shoots PAYNE, who falls to the ground. PAYNE Oh! NOLAN No! Come here. He runs over to PAYNE to render first aid. EXT. STUDIO LOT PAYNE is being treated on a gurney. PAYNE GROANING Ohh - I got shot. NOLAN Yeah. PAYNE STRAINING It really hurts. NOLAN Don't worry, they're gonna take good care of you. ER's just five minutes away. PAYNE Will you visit me in the hospital? NOLAN Of course, yes. PAYNE Hey, please, tell Malcolm I'm sorry. I-I-I had no idea. He’s loaded into the ambulance. ANDERSEN walks up to BISHOP and NOLAN. ANDERSEN He's gonna be all right? BISHOP Paramedics seem to think so. ANDERSEN Good, then I don't have to wait to yell at you about getting your VIP shot. NOLAN Well, technically, the ride along was yesterday, so - (off her look) Never mind. INT. STATION - BOOKING VESTRI and WOLFE are escorting ISABEL to the garage when they spot BRADFORD hovering nearby. WOLFE We're transferring your wife to county. Arraignment will be tomorrow. BRADFORD Can I get a minute with her? (They step away.) I'm sorry. ISABEL I needed you, and you weren't there. BRADFORD It wouldn't have fixed things. ISABEL You don't know that! Now you never will. We're done here. INT. STATION - INTERROGATION WEST finds LOPEZ sitting alone in an interrogation room. WEST Hey. Been looking for you. What's wrong? LOPEZ The Jason is in ICU. WEST What, you mean the guy who likes to shock himself? LOPEZ The guy he flipped on found out about it. Beat him half to death with a pipe. WEST Th-That's not on us. LOPEZ No, it's on me. If I hadn't been so gung ho on getting The Tap, he'd be in the house of detention, looking at a few months of jail. Now he might not be able to walk again. WEST There's no way you could've known about that. LOPEZ Maybe. But I didn't even think about it, and I should have. WEST You, um, think this will move you down the list? LOPEZ Are you kidding? I'm off the list. Gonna have to earn my way back onto it. WEST Anything I can do to help I will. You had my back when I needed it. Oh, right. I almost forgot. Did you hear about Tim's wife? INT. STATION - PARKING GARAGE BRADFORD is sitting alone in his car, lost in thought, looking depressed. BISHOP and LOPEZ open the doors and get in, BISHOP in front, LOPEZ leaning over the back seat. BRADFORD What are you doing? BISHOP Hanging out with you. BRADFORD Look, I appreciate the thought, but I'd rather be alone. LOPEZ Too bad. BRADFORD I'm not gonna talk about it. BISHOP You don't have to. LOPEZ But we're gonna be here if you change your mind. BRADFORD So what do we do now? TOGETHER Drink. INT. NOLAN'S HOUSE - NIGHT BEN comes strolling out of the kitchen with two bottles of beer in hand. NOLAN Hey. BEN Hey. NOLAN One of those for me? BEN Well, it is now. Hey, I saw the news about Rupert. You okay? NOLAN Yeah. Days like today can be hard emotionally. BEN I'll bet. Well, I have a plus-one to a gallery opening. You can come if you want and take your mind off it. NOLAN Yeah, you know what? I'm I'm beat. BEN You sure? I mean I-I-I can stay home if you don't want to be alone. NOLAN I won't be. BEN Okay. You have a good night. NOLAN I will. NOLAN sits down and opens his laptop to connect to his son HENRY via video chat. NOLAN Hey, buddy. HENRY NOLAN (on screen) Dad! Oh, it's good to see your face. NOLAN I'm sorry I haven't called in a few days. I've just been crazy with work. HENRY No worries. I'm slammed myself. NOLAN Everything okay? HENRY Yeah, great. Uh, we're reading Catch-22, which I love. And, uh, my roommate moved in with his girlfriend, so got the dorm all to myself. NOLAN Sweet. Um, tell me what you think of this. Uh What if I was to book you a flight and you come to L. A., just visit a few days? HENRY I've got midterms next week, but after that, I am I am all in. NOLAN Awesome. Okay, uh, text me the dates, and I'll book the flights. Meantime you will never guess who I met. Rupert Payne. HENRY Wait. D-Did I see that he just got shot? NOLAN Yeah. HENRY Was that with you? NOLAN Yeah, crazy story. HENRY Oh, tell me. Tell me. NOLAN Okay, um, you remember Trading Fire Two, when the hostage took the gun and we said, "Totally unbelievable. It would never happen"? HENRY Yeah. NOLAN Okay, earlier in the day, we respond to a call. Cut to a family in a front yard, frying pan, burning pancakes... Category:Transcripts